Thursday, October 22, 2009

Hayden Kho Jr. indicted in sex video case

Hayden Kho Jr. indicted in sex video case
GMANews.TV
GMANews.TV - Friday, October 23

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Criminal charges were filed Thursday against cosmetic surgeon Hayden Kho Jr. in connection with his sex video with actress Katrina Halili that was uploaded on the Internet.

A charge sheet filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) before the Pasig regional trial court indicted Kho for violation of Republic Act 9262 (anti-violence against women and children act).

Kho can post bail, but if found guilty by the court, he could suffer a jail sentence of six to 12 years and a fine of not less than P100,000.

A team of DOJ probers led by Senior State Prosecutor Emilie Fe delos Santos, head of the Task Force on Women and Children Protection, found that Kho’s acts of recording his sexual exploits with Halili and other women without their consent “bespoke of his betrayal of their trust and lack of respect for women."

Citing lack of evidence, the panel dismissed the complaints against Dr. Vicky Belo, Kho’s now estranged girlfriend, and alleged co-conspirators Erick Johnston Chua, Mark Herbert Rosario and Princess Marie Velasco.

In his defense, Kho admitted videotaping his sex session with Halili but denied responsibility for uploading the footage on the Internet.

But according to the panel, the issue was not whether Kho was responsible for uploading the sex video on the Internet, but rather his act of stealthily videotaping his sexual encounter with the complainant.

“(Kho) cannot simply justify said act with a disclaimer that the videotaping was not meant to be shown to anyone. He should own up and be responsible for his actions particularly when it affects another person’s right and dignity," said a decision of the DOJ probers.

In the case of Belo, Chua, Rosario and Velasco, the panel said while they knew about Kho’s infidelity and the existence of the video tape containing his sexual exploits with other women, they were not involved in the recording of such tapes.

It said their failure to report the existence of such tape to Halili does not hold them accountable as accessories.

Belo and the three alleged co-conspirators, however, are still not off the hook.

In its recommendation, the panel asked the justice secretary to direct the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct further investigation to determine who was responsible for the uploading of the sex video on the Internet.

Halili said she was satisfied with the DOJ's findings, adding that she was looking forward to seeing case take its proper course.

The videotape became a sensation in May when word spread that it was available on the Web. Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla attacked Kho in a speech in the Senate, sparking an inquiry that almost turned into a soap opera.

Halili's tearful protestations as an innocent woman whose trust had been violated, Kho's claims that it was all about sex and drugs, and former police officer Abner Afuang's surprise appearance to splash a glass of water onto Kho's face all added drama to the case. - GMANews.TV

Microsoft, Google integrating Twitter into search

Microsoft, Google integrating Twitter into search
AFP
AFP - Thursday, October 22

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[Microsoft has began serving up Facebook and Twitter status feeds in its Bing online search...] Microsoft has began serving up Facebook and Twitter status feeds in its Bing online search engine

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - – Microsoft began integrating Twitter messages into its new Internet search engine Bing and arch rival Google announced plans to do the same.

Microsoft unveiled its real-time Twitter search feature at a Web 2.0 Summit here and said it also planned to incorporate status updates from social network Facebook into Bing.

Within hours of the announcement by the US software giant, search leader Google said it too had reached an agreement with the popular microblogging service to include Twitter updates in search results.

The Twitter feature on Bing is already active and can be accessed at bing.com/twitter while Google said it would roll out its product "in the coming months."

"We have a deal with Twitter," Google vice president of search products Marissa Mayer said at the summit. "We will be featuring tweets in our search results as well as building a real-time search."

Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft's online services group, demonstrated a Bing Twitter search feature that went live Wednesday.

"We are going to get access to all of the public Twitter information in real time," Mehdi said, adding the Facebook status feed will be introduced at a later date.

"We are giving Bing a feed of data made open to everyone," Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said at the summit.

"No money exchanged hands. We are not trying to make money on data."

Neither Microsoft nor Facebook specified when Bing would begin delivering status updates from the Palo Alto, California-based social networking service.

"This is just a start," said Qi Lu, president of Microsoft's online services group. Google and Microsoft each declined to discuss financial terms of the deals.

Due to a freshly-inked deal with Microsoft, Yahoo! also expects to be able to deliver Twitter and Facebook updates on its Web pages, Yahoo! chief technology officer Aristotle Balogh told AFP at the summit.

"Whatever they get, we get," Balogh said, referring to Bing being relied on to deliver search results to Yahoo! websites.

Effectively searching real-time commentary has been "an elusive goal," Paul Yiu of the Bing social search team said in a blog post detailing the search engine's Twitter search feature.

"Twitter is producing millions of tweets every minute on every subject you can imagine," Yiu said. "Search needs to keep up."

Bing engineers began collaborating with Twitter shortly after Microsoft launched its new search engine about five months ago.

Bing's Twitter search delivers lists of "tweets" related to topics typed into a search box.

It ranks tweets by relevance, taking into account factors such as the author, content, and how many times comments are "re-tweeted" by others.

Bing searches can also be done by the "hashtags" used to group Twitter messages.

Protected or deleted tweets do not get presented in Bing search results, which will keep comments indexed for no more than seven days, according to Yiu.

Facebook status messages intended to be public -- instead of just viewed by friends -- are expected to be integrated into Bing.

Twitter and Facebook search features promise to be a boost for Bing, which has made steady if unspectacular progress in wresting a bigger share of the lucrative search and advertising market away from Google.

Not to be outdone, Mayer used the summit stage to demonstrate a "social search" feature to launch at its Labs website in "a couple of weeks."

The "beta," or test, service goes beyond Twitter feeds to incorporate in search results pictures, comments and other content from people's online social networks.

"We have inserted on the bottom of the page content by people in your social network," Mayer said while demonstrating.

To dabble with the social search feature people will have to "opt-in" at Google Labs.

Google remains the Internet search king, commanding approximately 65 percent of the US market.

Philippines' NFA to sell $107 mln 10-yr bonds

Philippines' NFA to sell $107 mln 10-yr bonds
Reuters
Reuters - Thursday, October 22

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MANILA, Oct 22 - The Philippines' state grain agency will sell 5 billion pesos worth of 10-year notes on Oct. 27, the Bureau of Treasury said on Thursday.

The National Food Authority , tasked with securing domestic rice supply and stabilising prices, had said earlier it wants to raise 27 billion pesos from the domestic debt market to fund operations and repay maturing obligations. It has said it may do so in several tranches.

The NFA has debt of around 100 billion pesos, most of which is falling due within a year. [ID:nMAN463388]

Arroyo calls for prayers as ‘Ramil’ slows down and weakens

Arroyo calls for prayers as ‘Ramil’ slows down and weakens
GMANews.TV
GMANews.TV - Thursday, October 22

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Typhoon “Ramil" (Lupit) may have weakened on Thursday, but President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo just the same called on Filipinos to pray that the calamity-stricken Philippines be spared from further devastation.

"Bagamat maganda ang umaga ngayon, hayaan niyong manawagan na muna ako sa inyo para sa lahat na tayo ay magdasal para sa ating taongbayan sa buong Luzon. Unang una yuong mga nawalaan ng mga minamahal na tahanan at pag-aari, at para rin sa mga nawawalaan ng pag-asa sa kinabukasan dahil sa mga kalamidad ng kalikasan," President Arroyo said in her address before a tourism summit in Batangas City in Batangas province. (We may be enjoying good weather today, but allow me to ask you to pray for our countrymen in Luzon, especially those who have lost their homes and belongings, and those who were losing hope after these natural calamities.) In making her call for prayers, the President cited the latest weather report, which showed Ramil was weakening and slowing down. Ramil’s waning strength Based on its 11 a.m. advisory, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Ramil continued to pack maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 195 kph. On Wednesday, Ramil had winds of 175 kph, with gusts of 210 kph. Pagasa placed the following areas under signal No. 3 (where the strength of winds range from 101 kph-185 kph): Batanes, Cagayan, Calayan Island, Babuyan Islands, and Apayao. On the other hand, areas under signal No. 2 (60-100 kph winds) are: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Isabela, Abra, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Aurora. Those under signal No. 1 (30-60 kph winds) are Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Northern Quezon, and Polillo Islands. Moving slowly west-southwest, Ramil was estimated at 300 km east of Aparri in Cagayan as of 10 a.m. Thursday. It is forecast to be 190 km east of Aparri on Friday morning, 120 km east of Aparri on Saturday morning, and 70 km southeast of Aparri on Sunday morning, Pagasa said. Spare us altogether Earlier in the day, Pagasa chief Prisco Nilo said Ramil might delay its expected landfall and might strike on Monday next week. In Mrs. Arroyo’s speech, she said everyone should pray that Ramil would continue to weaken and even spare the country altogether. “Mas mahabang panahong paghahanda at magdasal tayo para tuluyang humina..., or maiwasan sana tayo (We have more time to prepare and let us pray that Ramil would weaken further or even spare us completely," she added.

Last Sunday, churches offered prayers that the storm will spare the Philippines, which is still reeling from deadly floods and landslides.

On Tuesday, the Roman Catholic Church published a full-page prayer for deliverance from typhoons in a national broadsheet. The prayer lamented that "global warming is upon us" and the asked God to spare Filipinos "from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made."

Last September 26, tropical storm “Ondoy" (ketsana) wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and other provinces in Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions. While the victims were still reeling from the destruction, typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma) entered Philippine territory and dumped rains for one week. Ondoy and Pepeng caused massive flooding, landslides, and dam spills – resulting in the deaths of hundreds, the displacement of thousands of families, and destruction in infrastructure and agriculture amounting to billions. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Erap embarks on last performance of his life

Erap embarks on last performance of his life Philstar.com - Thursday, October 22Send IM Story Print

Erap embarks on last performance of his life

Slideshow: elections_2010 Photos MANILA, Philippines - Seeking vindication after his ouster from the presidency and conviction for plunder, Joseph Estrada asked Filipinos yesterday to give him a second chance.

“This is the last performance of my life and I will not fail you,” the former president told a cheering crowd in Tondo, Manila, where he announced his plan to run in the 2010 elections, with Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as his running mate.

Expecting legal challenges to his bid, Estrada said the voice of the people is the voice of God, and voters should be the final judge.

He also announced his tentative senatorial slate: his son Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., ZTE scandal whistle-blower Joey de Venecia, detained rebel leader Danny Lim, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Ompong Plaza. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is a guest candidate.

At his presidential inaugural in 1998, Estrada, a former movie star, had promised to deliver “the greatest performance of my life.” He was ousted less than halfway into his term and replaced by his vice president and constitutional successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

With Binay, Estrada said, he could rest assured that his vice president would not be plotting behind his back to bring him down.

Estrada said Binay could help turn the country into another Makati, a city where the masses receive heavy social protection protection including free education, health care and even free admission in moviehouses for senior citizens.

In his speech, Estrada decried that he had been unjustly detained for six years and isolated from his family and supporters.

“I have followed the law and I have already forgotten all the lies and charges leveled against me. But you did not leave me,” he said referring to his supporters.

He said it’s his mission to deliver the country from poverty and culture of corruption under the Arroyo administration.

“This administration forgot about education. The budget for education did not even reach half of the country’s debt. We have P2 trillion debts at present and this will rise to P4 trillion by 2010,” he said.

“I took care of Mindanao to make it a food basket, but this administration, through the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain almost gave it up,” Estrada said.

He also vowed to be tougher in dealing with secessionists and terrorists in Mindanao.

“Mindanao will not progress if we will not finish all these kinds of terrorism. Corruption in government is rampant,” he said.

He said that under his administration, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF lost its camps in Mindanao.

He also took a swipe at the “elitists” whom he accused of having conspired to have him removed.

“Vox populi, vox dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God. But the elitists are not listening to voice of the people that is why we are here now,” he said. “Are we better off today than in 2001?”

Rivals are expected to challenge his candidacy before the Supreme Court and invoke a constitutional ban on a second term for any president.

Estrada’s camp has insisted he is not covered by the ban because he was “illegally” removed from power.

“I was demonized then unconstitutionally removed,” Estrada said.

Albert Lim of the Makati Business Club said Estrada’s poor record as president and his criminal conviction should be enough reasons for him not to run again.

“Going by his track record, why should anyone think that he’ll be a good president?” Lim asked. “He won’t be good for business.”

Despite his ouster, conviction and detention, Estrada steadfastly denied the charges of plundering government coffers through kickbacks and illegal gambling payoffs. He never parted with a visible symbol of his power – his trademark wristband.

“During the lowest point in my life, the poor did not abandon me,” he said.

Estrada rose to movie stardom in his early 20s, playing tough guys with a soft spot for the needy – roles that earned him the hearts of the masses that make up almost half of the population.

In the 1970s, he won five best actor awards in the Philippines’ version of the Oscars.

Estrada entered politics in 1969 with his election as mayor of Manila’s San Juan suburb, a post he kept for 17 years.

He was elected senator in 1987, then vice president in 1992 despite a life of boozing, gambling and womanizing – foibles that humanized and endeared him to ordinary Filipinos but disturbed the influential Roman Catholic Church and the business community.

He has acknowledged fathering children with several women other than his wife.

He banked on his macho, Filipino everyman charisma to win the presidency in 1998 with one of the largest margins in recent memory.

Legal basis

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and University of the East dean of the College of Law Amado Valdez said there is no legal impediment to Estrada’s joining the presidential race in 2010.

“Many legal luminaries, former Supreme Court justices, well-known lawyers have conducted a study on whether President Estrada can run or not. Is President Estrada running for reelection? No, he is not running for reelection. He is running for another election because he was not allowed to finish his term and he was unduly removed from the presidency,” Rodriguez said.

“The rich businessmen conspired with the disgruntled members of the military and hungry for power politicians to remove him. He relinquished his post to prevent bloodshed,” he said.

Rodriguez said that constitutional provision banning reelection of the president only applies to an incumbent president or one who has finished his six-year term.

“President Estrada is not the incumbent. The ban on reelection is intended to prevent an incumbent president to use the government machinery during his reelection bid,” he said.

“Even Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, in one of the rulings of the Supreme Court, said that the better policy approach is to let the people decide. He said the Supreme Court may err, but the sovereign people will not,” he said.

“The prohibition on reelection for president applies only to incumbent presidents and those who have finished six years term,” Valdez, for his part, said.

“That intention of the law is to prevent the incumbent from using the machinery of the government for his reelection bid,” he said.

No endorsement

Chief Justice Puno, meanwhile, said he is not endorsing Estrada.

Puno was reacting to newspaper ads from the Estrada camp that quoted him as saying that the people should decide who should be the next president.

“It is quite clear from the paid ad that the quote is from Chief Justice Puno’s opinion in the 2004 Tecson case which has peculiar facts as it involved the citizenship of FPJ. It is not an endorsement and should not be perceived or used as such by any candidate,” SC spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said.

Marquez also said Estrada’s camp did not even get Puno’s permission on the use of his photo and ruling.

He said Puno’s decision not to endorse any candidate in next year’s polls “is also in keeping with the nature of the Moral Force Movement convened by the Chief Justice to be non-partisan.”

Unfazed

Malacañang said Estrada’s announcement was nothing.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita noted that Estrada has been making these pronouncements about his political plans for 2010 since his release from house arrest.

“I think we have heard enough, we have read enough about the plans of former President Estrada. I don’t see why there should be any surprises about his (declaring) publicly what he plans to do,” Ermita said.

He said it is clear in the conditions of Estrada’s pardon that he cannot seek an elective post again.

Eventually, Ermita said the courts would have to rule on the matter.

“I believe that in the end, everything will have to be settled judicially. I’m sure there will be citizens who will come out in the open questioning his certificate of candidacy and therefore, they might bring this matter to court, maybe in the highest court,” Ermita said.

“What I’m only saying is that somehow there has got to be a judicial remedy to this to end any speculation as to whether it’s alright for him to run or not to run,” he added.

Irresponsible

In Koronadal City, the MILF assailed Estrada for his bellicose statement on dealing with insurgencies.

In a radio interview here, Gadzali Jaafar, vice-chairman for political affairs of the MILF, said Estrada’s “irresponsible statements” would only “aggravate” the situation in Mindanao.

“Palalain lang niya ang situation dito sa Mindanao. Hindi kami natatakot sa sinasabi niya (He will just make things worse here in Mindanao. We’re not afraid of his threats),” Jaafar said over Bombo Radyo Koronadal.

Jaafar and other MILF officials believe Estrada is using the Mindanao to attract votes.

He said the ousted leader should “shut up” and withdraw from the presidential race because, he said, “he has no chance of winning.”

No defection

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza denied reports that he has jumped to Estrada’s camp.

A newspaper report (not The STAR) said Estrada was poised to announce his choice of Atienza as the United Opposition’s and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino’s Manila mayoralty bet.

“Don’t believe it. It’s an enterprise story,” Atienza said. “I don’t want to totally deny but it is not true that I jumped ship. I don’t jump ship, you know that,” he said.

When asked about persistent rumors that he was planning to run again as Manila mayor he said he didn’t want to talk about politics. – With Marvin Sy, Edu Punay, Ramil Bajo, Katherine Adraneda, AP - By Jose Rodel Clapano (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Are you a Facebook addict?

Are you a Facebook addict?
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN - Tuesday, October 20

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[Are you a Facebook addict?] Are you a Facebook addict?

MANILA - Facebook users beware. Psychologists are now probing a new kind of addiction called Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).

Psychologist Dr. Michael Fenichel, who has published numerous writings on FAD online, describes it as a situation in which Facebook usage "overtakes" daily activities like waking up, getting dressed, using the telephone, or checking e-mail.

"The amazing thing is that, like cellphones, nobody seems to notice the vast amount of time and energy - at work, at home, and now while on the move - people are devoting to Facebook. It has become a given," Fenichel writes in an online post titled "Facebook Addiction Disorder- A New Challenge?"

FAD could be classified under the more broad "internet addiction disorder" or internet overuse.

Academic papers have already posed theories on internet addiction and social networking addiction, and even less, cellphone addiction.

"Like most activities, moderation and integration are key. Those that may seriously label and treat FAD as a behavioral addiction will clearly need to use context in determining if a behavior has become demonstrably harmful to overall social, work, or face-to-face interpersonal efficacy," Fenichel added.

You are a Facebook addict if...

According to Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was interviewed for a CNN report, here are some signs that you are addicted to Facebook:

1. You lose sleep over Facebook. When using Facebook becomes a compulsion and you spend entire nights logged on to the site, causing you to become tired the next day.

2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. Lipari said it is difficult to define how much is too much when it comes to Facebook usage, but that an average person need only spend half an hour on the site.

3. You become obsessed with old loves or exes you reconnect with on Facebook.

4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook. This means you do not do your job in order to sneak time on Facebook.

5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in cold sweat. If you try going a day without Facebook and it causes you stress and anxiety, this means you need help.

According to the same report by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior CNN Medical Correspondent, Facebook addiction is not yet an actual medical diagnosis.

However, the report notes that several therapists in the United States have noticed a rise in the number of clients who get hooked on social networking, to the point of social dysfunction.

Facebook fun

Facebook, launched by the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, has over 300 million users worldwide, half of whom log on to the site every day.

Further, about 2 billion photos and 14 million videos are uploaded on various Facebook pages a month and about 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook a day, worldwide.

According to Willis Wee, founder of the social media and marketing blog Penn-Olson.com, this is twice as much time that people spend on Google.

The global social networking website allows users to post and share content (like photos, links, videos, and notes), play casual games and applications, and interact with friends and family through messaging and chat. abs-cbnNEWS.com. With reports from CNN.com.

Brad Pitt's 'floating house' can work in RP

Brad Pitt's 'floating house' can work in RP
ABS-CBN - Monday, October 19SendIM StoryPrint.
Brad Pitt's 'floating house' can work in RP
A housing design prescribed by architects for post-Katrina New Orleans might suit flood prone areas in the Philippines

MANILA – After Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Southwestern coast of the United States in 2006, celebrity Brad Pitt and his Make It Right (MIR) Foundation set about building environmentally-friendly and sustainable housing for affected families in New Orleans.

Formed by Pitt after he saw the devastation to New Orleans's Lower 9th Ward, the MIR aims to build over 150 houses within 14 blocks using "green" design principles pitched by architectural firms all over the world.

This is supposed to fulfill the promise Pitt made residents in the area: that he would help them build a stronger and safer neighborhood. (Take a virtual tour of storm-resistant MIR homes here.)

Floating House

The Make It Right Foundation's "Floating House." It can rise up 12 feet on 2 guideposts like a raft. Photo from www.makeitrightnola.org.

According to the MIR website, each house the foundation will build will incorporate storm-resistant features like escape hatches on the rooftops, hurricane window fabric that protect interiors against the entry of water, and raised elevation, among others.

The houses will also use mostly eco-friendly materials.

One house that stood out among the rest, however, was a "floating house" that Pitt unveiled in early October.

The house, designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, can break away from its moorings and rise up to 12 feet on 2 guideposts - much like an anchored raft.

Though it will separate from its plumbing and electrical lines when it floats up, Mayne said in an interview with NPR.org that the house can provide enough battery power for 3 days so the family can survive until help comes.

It is buoyant because of its chassis made of polystyrene foam (not considered eco-friendly) and glass-reinforced concrete.

Morphosis Architects has not revealed how much the house costs, but various internet reports say building cost is low.

The house has not been tested in real flood conditions, but only in extensive computer simulations. "I mean, hopefully it never gets used. But when it gets used, it's important," Mayne said in a statement.

Disaster-ready housing

Can floating houses like these be feasible in the Philippine setting? Definitely, says Architect Jason Buensalido of Buensalido+Architects.

Founded in 2005, the firm is known for its contemporary designs and eco-friendly projects.

In fact, Buensalido's firm was about to draw a similar plan for a "Float House" when Brad Pitt's floating house was introduced in local newspapers and online news sites.

"It's just as simple as designing a raft. It's just as simple as putting a house on a raft. So you know, it's really possible," Buensalido said in a phone interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

Buensalido said they are looking for partner organizations who are open to building floating houses, like Gawad Kalinga and My Shelter Foundation (which works with disaster management networks). They are even considering pitching the idea to President Arroyo herself.

As a guide to their design, Buensalido cited existing floating houses in areas of the Netherlands like Maasbommel near the Meuse river, where floating houses are already a norm. These houses are anchored on vertical columns, so the houses basically move up and down.

The floating houses are built with hollow concrete cubes underneath for buoyancy, while electricity and water are pumped through flexible pipes. Each house costs about $310,000 (about P14.4 million).

As early as 2007, a Dutch company called Dura Vermeer built 37 such houses that can rise up to 13 feet. Buensalido, however, said RP’s floating houses can go higher to suit local conditions.

In Provident village, the village in Marikina City which was worst hit by floods brought on by Ondoy, waters reportedly rose as high as 30 feet.

"The question really is how to make it (a floating house) affordable to make. But we want to really make it possible," Buensalido said, adding that pre-fabricating materials and potential mass production could bring the building costs down.

"It's also a matter of material selection. They don't have to be ultra-expensive. It really boils down to economy because it has to answer to immediate needs. It might not be reachable to common people, so you have to make it cost-effective in the way we produce it," he said.

House on stilts

Buensalido's 'Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa' entry. The house has a second skin, like a sleeve, which can be customized according to the budget and aesthetic preferences of the buyer. The skin acts like a natural cooling system. Photo from METRO Home Magazine.

Disaster-resistant housing need not be as expensive as floating houses in the Netherlands, as an award-winning design by Buensalido and Associates proves.

Buensalido had come up with an eco-friendly and sustainable house design that won this year's "Pinakamagandang Bahay sa Balat ng Lupa" contest, launched by the University of the Philippines College of Architecture and Lafarge Cement Services, Inc.

Contest rules required that the house had to cost at least P750,000 (the median cost for a Pag-Ibig Housing loan), fit a family of 5, and it had to be flood and typhoon-resistant.

Buensalido's firm designed a customizable modular house, inspired by the traditional 'bahay-kubo', that "actually sits on stilts."

"The whole house is really on the second floor. On the ground floor, there's nothing but empty space, like a veranda. It's consistent with the idea of a bahay kubo which is an elevated house and the rest of the lot is used for social gathering. By raising the house, you're essentially safe in terms of floods and disasters," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

Eco-beam frames that support piles of sandbags inside the walls add to the house's flood-resistance, Buensalido said.

The house can go up several stories, depending on how high an area's flood waters can rise.

Indigenous ideas

The design of the stilt house incorporates a rainwater-harvesting system where a series of valve spouts on the roof direct rainwater either to an underground cistern or an ordinary steel drum.

If budget allows, the cistern can be fitted to a high-tech filtration system that can produce water for drinking or bathing. Drums, meanwhile, can collect water for plants and backyard vegetables.

This could ensure that a family has adequate stocks of water and food when floods or typhoons come. Buensalido said that architects can learn a lot from indigenous housing that were built to respond to their natural climate.

Tribes like the Badjao, for example, have learned to live with rising tides by building stilted houses and house boats.

"If you look at old architecture, like the bahay kubo and houses in Banawe, they all respond to the climate. They're site-specific and that's how architecture should be," he said.

Buensalido describes indigenous housing as "perfect for the Philippines" because they are well-ventilated and do not require artificial cooling, they make full use of natural lighting and do not use as much energy, and they are usually made of sustainable material like bamboo, coconut, nipa, or 'anahao.'

Buensalido said that modern houses need not look exactly like a 'bahay kubo', but can incorporate eco-friendly design principles.

Good urban planning

While low-cost floating or disaster-resistant houses could help people cope with oncoming disasters like typhoons, Buensalido said much of disaster prevention has to do with good urban planning.

"In the first place, urban planners should check the 100-year flood history of an area. And in the first place, they shouldn't build on a site that is flood-prone. In the macro-scale, the reason why we have this problem is because Manila isn't planned well," he said.

(Read: 'Gov't, private developers liable for flood damage')

Buensalido said the recent storms- Ondoy and Pepeng - served as an "eye-opener" for architects and developers, as well as the government.

"It should really be the government. All these urban planning - the government has the power to approve these things at the end of the day. But the government does not have the budget to prevent these things. Architects can only do a certain amount of work to help people respond to disasters," he said. Report by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of our series on “Disasters: Search for Solutions.” To contribute to this series, email editorial@abs-cbnnews.com.

Gab, Rachelle Ann call it quits

Gab, Rachelle Ann call it quits
ABS-CBN - Tuesday, October 20SendIM StoryPrint.
Gab, Rachelle Ann call it quits
MANILA – It is over.

Singer Rachelle Ann Go has finally confirmed that she and Gabriel "Gab" Valenciano are no longer seeing each other.

Go, however, declined to elaborate what caused the break-up.

The “Bakit” singer told ABS-CBN News: "Ayoko na pong pag-usapan. Ayoko ng hungkatin kung ano man ‘yon. Pero masaya na din po siya. So, okay po kami ngayon."

Since the break-up, Go admitted that the two of them have yet to talk to each other. She quickly clarified that it is because they are both busy with their respective careers.

"Hindi pa kami nakakapag-usap kasi medyo busy po. Pero okay kami," Go maintained.

Reports said Go had ended their relationship after she caught Valenciano, son of Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano, communicating again with his former girlfriend through social networking Web site Facebook.

There was also a rumor that Valenciano’s mother, talent manager Angeli Pangilinan, did not approve of her. This allegedly brought a strain to the relationship.

In a previous interview, Go denied the rumor involving Gab's mother, maintaining that she was very supportive of their relationship.

Philippines on high alert ahead of Typhoon Lupit

Philippines on high alert ahead of Typhoon Lupit
AFP - Tuesday, October 20SendIM StoryPrint.
Philippines on high alert ahead of Typhoon Lupit

Slideshow: Faces of Asia PH MANILA (AFP) - – The Philippine military deployed boats and helicopters to the northern Philippines Monday, officials said, as Typhoon Lupit threatened more devastation after two storms claimed nearly 1,000 lives.

"We have been pre-positioning food and transportation assets in areas likely to be hit by the typhoon," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters.

The navy said it had sent 18 rubber boats, as well as trucks, amphibious vehicles and helicopters to areas of the nation's main Luzon island, which is expected to start being lashed by Lupit from the middle of this week.

The army said troops from its engineering units were also being deployed to the north, while the air force said rescue helicopters had already been sent to areas in Lupit's projected path.

The Southeast Asian nation was on particularly high alert because Luzon is still reeling from two storms in recent weeks that caused massive landslides and floods.

On September 26 Tropical Storm Ketsana dumped the heaviest single day of rains in more than four decades on Manila and surrounding areas, killing 420 people and causing nearly 100 more deaths from ensuing disease outbreaks.

Typhoon Parma hit northern Luzon exactly a week later and hovered over the region for a week as a tropical storm, triggering landslides and floods that left at least 438 people dead.

"We are all on alert," Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwen Pang told AFP, as she detailed efforts to stockpile relief goods close to areas that are expected to be affected by Lupit.

Teodoro also said mayors in mountainous regions in the north had been asked to convince their constituents to move to safer areas, and away from potential landslides.

Packing winds of 175 kilometres (109 miles) an hour and gusts of up to 210 kilometres an hour, Lupit was hovering at 1,110 kilometres east of Cagayan province on Monday afternoon, the state weather bureau said.

It was expected to make landfall in northern Luzon on Thursday, although it could start bringing bad weather to the region a day earlier, it said.

Monday, October 19, 2009

PBA suspends Arboleda for rest of the season

PBA suspends Arboleda for rest of the season
GMANews.TV - Tuesday, October 20SendIM StoryPrint.The Philippine Basketball Association on Monday handed down its severest penalty to date, suspending veteran Burger King guard Wynne Arboleda without pay for the rest of the 2009-10 Season.

Arboleda Arboleda went after a heckler at courtside during the Whopper’s game against Smart-Gilas at the Araneta Coliseum last Friday, landing a kick and some punches before being restrained by cooler heads.

The suspension means P2.73 million in lost income for Arboleda, not counting won game, advancement and player award bonuses. For committing two flagrant fouls penalty 1 in the game, the nine-year PBA veteran also drew a P20,000 fine and a one-game suspension, which would be served on Wednesday in their game against the San Miguel Beermen.

In his decision letter sent to Arboleda, PBA commissioner Renauld "Sonny" Barrios said, “As we pointed out to you, even granting that said fan was foul-mouthed and verbally abusive as confirmed by reports to us, there is a ‘line’ that a PBA player cannot and should not cross: to physically harm a fan."

Coming just a few months after two separate incidents involving players and fans, commissioner Barrios told Arboleda that “your serious breach of this ‘line’ at this time and in the manner described herein endangers the PBA as being perceived by the public as unwholesome and not deserving of fan support."

Even granting that said fan was foul-mouthed and verbally abusive as confirmed by reports to us, there is a ‘line’ that a PBA player cannot and should not cross: to physically harm a fan. – Sonny Barrios, PBA commissionerThe PBA Commissioner ended his letter by saying a repeat of the same or similar act will result in a lifetime ban from the league.

Barrios, who met with Arboleda Monday morning at the PBA Commissioner’s Office in Libis, added that the PBA must send a strong signal that such an unwanted act has no place in the league and will never be taken lightly, stressing that the fans’ interest is always the league’s primordial concern as established by PBA forefathers over the years.

While serving his suspension, Arboleda cannot be present at the playing venues during Burger King’s games.

As a contracted PBA player even while suspended, Arboleda likewise may not play in any other league. - GMANews.TV

Hoe to Posses a positive Outlook in Job Interview...

Dear jobseeker,

Confirming an interview invitation from a company you applied to is very important and should not be taken for granted. The whole interview process will assess if you are able to do the job, if the job available is something that you are willing to do, and if you are the right fit for it.

Personal interviews are even better than phone interviews because you will be able to interact better with the interviewers. When you attend an interview, you need to be prepared and have the right mental attitude.

Below are some tips to guide you when you get an interview appointment.

Confidence
Nervousness or being jittery are common feelings experienced by a candidate during interview. Avoid feeling inadequate for the position you are applying to. The fact that you were requested for an interview means that you were pre-qualified by the recruiter based on your resume alone. It also means you have bested some of the other candidates for the position.

Another way to gain confidence is to research information about the company before your interview. Gaining knowledge about the company would give you the confidence when you are asked what you know about the company.

Learning opportunity and Improvement
Treat every interview as a learning experience and a way to improve. If you have not been successful from your previous interviews, do not let it frustrate you. Try to remember what questions you had difficulty answering, and learn how to come up with a better answer. When similar questions are again asked, you will be prepared to come up with a better answer.

Interviews can also be a way an opportunity to learn something about the company, other people and even your self. If you are given the chance to ask, do not be afraid to ask about the company or the position you are applying for. This will give the interviewer the impression that you are interested to learn more about their company.

Showing up for a confirmed interview
Being late for an appointment or failure to show up for an interview on an agreed time will create a negative impression against you. As a candidate, it is your responsibility to show up to an agreed schedule. If for some unforeseen reason, you will not be able to attend the interview, you must inform your interviewer 24 hours before the appointment. But make sure that you have a valid reason in resetting the appointment.

For inquiries or service requests, you may send us an e-mail at info-ph@jobstreet.com or call us at Tel. No. 451-9999.

Thank you,

Bing Tabuena
Customer Care Manager

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Quiambao opens up about verbal abuse during marriage

Quiambao opens up about verbal abuse during marriage
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN - Sunday, October 18

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[Quiambao opens up about verbal abuse during marriage] Quiambao opens up about verbal abuse during marriage

MANILA – Television host-actress Miriam Quiambao has finally broken her silence on her failed marriage to Italian Claudio Rondinelli.

Quiambao told “The Buzz” host Boy Abunda in an interview Sunday that her marriage had fallen apart because of her husband's affair with a younger woman.

The “Patient X” star confessed that her husband admitted about his infidelity over the phone. She was in the country then for a guesting in a reality-based television show here.

She recalled: “We were already having problems then. And I wanted to follow to Italy to spend Easter with him, but he wouldn’t let me. And I was wondering why. I came here and guested."

“I was here. He called me and he said he wanted a divorce. And I was wondering why. I said, ‘Is there a third party?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ Sabi ko, ‘Let’s talk when I get back in Hong Kong.’ And ‘yon na inamin na niya.”

In 2004, Rondinelli and Quiambao got married in Boracay before moving to Hong Kong. Quiambao had relocated at the height of her career in the local entertainment industry. They separated two years later.

Many people speculated that Rondinelli had physically abused her. On Sunday, Quiambao for the first time denied the speculation.

She, however, admitted that she had suffered emotional and verbal abuse during their two-year relationship.

“Hindi naman po ako binugbog pero I experienced verbal and emotional abuse… and then toward the last three months of our relationship, that’s when he also fell in love with a much younger girl, a different nationality. And that what caused our separation,” she said.

After their separation in 2006, she returned to the country and resumed her hosting and acting jobs here.

Divorce proceedings

It took her three years to publicly discuss her marriage because Quiambao was prohibited by law to talk about it while the divorce proceedings in Hong Kong were ongoing.

On Sunday, she revealed that the proceedings are now in the “last stages.” The result of the hearings might come out either this week or by the end of the month, she said.

The former beauty queen is set to seek an annulment in the Philippines once the Hong Kong case is over.

She broke down in tears as she admitted that it was liberating and a big relief for her to finally talk about it in public.

“Ayoko sanang umiyak pero siguro it’s such a freeing experience to finally talk about it,” she said.

Life after Rondinelli

If she stayed longer in the relationship, Quiambao knew that her “spirit was going to die.”

In spite of what happened, she still cares for him and wants him to be happy, she admitted. She also doesn’t harbor any ill feeling toward him.

After the divorce, she said it’s her goal to remain friends with the Italian businessman, who spent his birthday “soul searching” in Bali, Indonesia.

Likening her experience at the 1999 Miss Universe pageant where she slipped and fell on stage, she said she knows that she can rise again after the divorce has been finalized.

“I feel that what I need to do is to stand up and move forward and trust that God is there behind me. Mas marami pa akong magagawa ng malayo sa kanya,” she said.

She is also optimistic that true love will find her again. If that time comes, she vowed that she will be more careful.

“And if ever that happens again, sana naman po siya na ang tipong binigay sa akin ni Lord para hindi ko na siya pagsisihan in the end. I have to trust Him,” she added.

100 tons of food arrive from UN

100 tons of food arrive from UN
Philstar.com
Philstar.com - Monday, October 19

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[100 tons of food arrive from UN] 100 tons of food arrive from UN

MANILA, Philippines - The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country yesterday for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”

Stephen Anderson, WFP country director, said the first 100-metric-ton shipment of nutritious biscuits was loaded from Turkey and flown to the Philippines on TNT’s Boeing 747-400 extended range freighter for immediate distribution to various evacuation centers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Anderson said another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

The shipment was another endeavor in the “Moving the World Partnership” between WFP and delivery firm TNT.

He said the biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps.

“Tens of thousands of young mothers and children are going to benefit from this nutritious food, which will be delivered to areas worst hit by flooding and distributed in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),” Anderson said.

He said that right after the typhoons devastated parts of the country, the WFP had immediately initiated relief activities for flood victims in support of the government’s own response to the calamity.

He thanked the TNT, through country general manager Cetin Yalcin, for transporting food and relief materials to help typhoon victims in the Philippines.

Yalcin announced that TNT would continuously bring in more food aid to the Philippines in coordination with the WFP.

He noted that the latest shipment was coordinated with the WFP in a short period. “We obtained approval from our head office last Tuesday morning and in a couple of days the supplier started production, and we’re flying our B747. It was fast,” Yalcin said.

Anderson, on the other hand, said his agency owes TNT “an enormous debt of gratitude for providing the service, which will save us close to $750,000 in shipping costs.”

He also thanked the government of Australia for providing the WFP with $1.75 million in cash, part of which has been used to buy the biscuits for the Philippines.

Relief caravan postponed

Meanwhile, the DSWD, along with other government and non-government agencies, has started “pre-positioning” relief goods to areas that are likely to be hit by typhoon “Ramil.”

Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said they decided to postpone the planned relief caravan today for the victims of typhoon Pepeng in northern and central Luzon because of the incoming typhoon.

“We felt it was better to advance the delivery of goods so we started pre-positioning yesterday,” Cabral said in a text message.

The DSWD has organized a 100-vehicle relief caravan dubbed “Sama-Samang Pagtulong Relief Caravan” that will bring relief goods to Luzon areas affected by Pepeng.

The caravan would have included a hundred truckloads of relief goods to be distributed to some 536, 500 families in Pangasinan, La Union, Isabela, Cagayan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Tarlac, Abra, Baguio City and Benguet.

In a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council last Saturday, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said authorities were pre-positioning relief goods to areas likely to be hit by Ramil, such as Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos provinces, Batanes, Cagayan and Baguio City. -- Helen Flores - By Rudy Santos (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Giant singkamas sparks frenzy in CDO

Giant singkamas sparks frenzy in CDO
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN - Thursday, October 15

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[Giant singkamas sparks frenzy in CDO] Giant singkamas sparks frenzy in CDO

MANILA – Market goers in Cagayan de Oro City are abuzz with excitement over the freshest and biggest harvest pick in Cogon Market—a giant singkamas (yam bean, native turnip or jicama) weighing more than 10 kilograms.

The giant singkamas, which was bought from a supplier in Sultan Kudarat, weighed 10.6 kilos.

According to vegetable distributor Minie Poquita, she has never seen a singkamas so large and heavy in her 10 years of selling vegetables.

Poquita added that she even mistook the singkamas to be another vegetable.

“Tingala lagi mi dili man siguro ni singkamas. Kalabasa man siguro ning naa sa sako (Nagtaka talaga kami, akala naming kalabasa ang nakita naming sa sako),” she told ABS-CBN News.

She also revealed that she has no plans of selling the singkamas no matter how much the buyer is offering to pay for it.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the weight of Cagayan de Oro’s giant singkamas is half of Indonesia’s world record of having a singkamas (known in Indonesia as bengkuang) weighing 20 kilos. -- Report from Rod Bolivar, ABS-CBN News Northern Mindanao

Weather bureau spots new storm

Weather bureau spots new storm
Manila Bulletin
Manila Bulletin - Thursday, October 15

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Weather forecasters Thursday advised residents of Central and Southern Luzon to brace for another storm that is developing along the Pacific Ocean near Guam, which could gain similar strength and follow the track of Typhoon "Pepeng".

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that the tropical depression over the Marianas Islands, estimated at about 1,870 kilometers away from the country, will enter the Philippine area of responsibility over the weekend.

PAGASA said that the weather disturbance, which will be named "Ramil" once it entered the country, has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and was moving west northwest at 35 kph. It is expected to track the general direction of Central and Northern Luzon towards Taiwan area.

Meanwhile, PAGASA said a Low Pressure Area (LPA) was embedded in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), another rain-causing weather system near Southern Luzon and Visayas, about 290 kilometers north northwest of Puerto Princesa City.

The weather bureau said that the two weather systems will "continue to bring cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over Luzon and Visayas," which will become widespread over Southern Tagalog provinces including Palawan.

PAGASA said the moderate to heavy rains brought by the weather system may trigger more flashfloods and landslides in some areas.

RP welcomes US House resolution supporting disaster relief efforts

RP welcomes US House resolution supporting disaster relief efforts
GMANews.TV
GMANews.TV - Friday, October 16

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The Philippine government welcomed on Thursday a resolution filed in the United States House of Representatives urging the US federal government to support local relief efforts to help victims of two consecutive weather disturbances that hit the country in the past weeks. Malacaňang on Thursday expressed gratitude for US House Resolution 800 filed by California 12th District Rep. Jackie Speier in the US Congress, which calls on US President Barack Obama to continue assisting the Philippines in its efforts to address the deaths and damage to property caused by tropical storm “Ondoy" (Ketsana) and typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma). "We are very happy and thankful for the resolution," deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. Fajardo said the move was also very timely since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently appealed to rich countries to assist the Philippines in rehabilitation and relief efforts after rains brought by Ondoy and Pepeng caused massive damage to infrastructure, agriculture and private property. She also said she hopes that Obama and the US government will "heed" Speier’s call and pass the resolution. "If it will be successful, it will be a start of a good move that will make other countries follow as well," she said. The Department of Foreign Affairs also thanked Speier and the rest of the international community for their efforts in extending help to those affected by the twin cyclones that devastated the country. “We are grateful to Representative Speier and other friends for their support and solidarity with our people during these difficult times," Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya said in a separate interview. But Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Prospero Nograles said it would have been better if Speier’s resolution directed actual financial support to the government in its relief efforts. “Thanks but better with appropriations. It will be more meaningful and will help us out," Nograles said in a text message sent to GMANews.TV. Speier introduced in the US Congress on October 6 the resolution entitled “Expressing sympathy for the citizens of the Philippines dealing with Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma," encouraging the US government to work closely with Philippine officials to improve the country’s disaster mitigation techniques. The resolution, which garnered 39 co-sponsors in a day’s time, also urged the US government help in relief efforts in the Philippines in terms of logistical, transportation and financial assistance. Speier’s resolution is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday (Thursday past midnight in Manila).

The US Embassy had earlier offered an initial relief aid of US100,000 and sent its military servicemen, along with their boats and choppers to help in rescue operations for victims of the two tropical cyclones. – Aie See, Jam Sisante and Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

Monday, October 12, 2009

tribu Iliganon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R4KGlW5Zrs

Former champ to spar with Pacquiao

Slideshow: Manny Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - All eyes will be on Jose Luis Castillo when the former world champion from Mexico spars with Manny Pacquiao tomorrow in Baguio City.

The 35-year-old Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion who’s had some great fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and the late Diego Corrales, is now up in Baguio.

He flew in the other day but couldn’t proceed straight to the country’s summer capital due to landslides and flooding brought about by Typhoon “Pepeng.”

Wasting no time, Pacquiao ordered that Castillo be flown to Baguio, and the boxer’s friend, Chavit Singson, was quick to lend his 28-seater private plane.

“He just came in today,” said chief trainer Freddie Roach as he enjoyed his day off in chilly Baguio.

“He’ll spar on Tuesday with Manny. I’ll ask him to do three rounds but we’ll be doing seven for the day,” added Roach.

Castillo came in with American super-lightweight Danny Escobar, and should be out on the road today to get their rhythm going.

There were questions on Castillo’s current condition, and whether he’s up to the task to be part of Pacquiao’s training camp will be known tomorrow.

“He says he’s in shape. But I can’t tell you anything until Tuesday,” said Roach, who has watched Pacquiao spar a total of 31 rounds after two weeks.

Castillo fought Mayweather twice in 2002, and came close to winning the first bout. He squared off with Corrales also twice, winning the second by knockout. He also fought Ricky Hatton in 2007 but lost via knockout.

Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon have provided Pacquiao company in the ring although Roach said the latter could be flying home by Saturday.

Two days ago, Pacquiao sparred seven rounds, and so far Roach is satisfied.

“He dominated both guys yesterday,” added Roach, who also made Pacquiao swim for close to 30 minutes since he skipped running due to the foul weather.

Roach also denied reports that Pacquiao is planning to leave for the United States earlier than the planned Oct. 24 schedule.

“That’s a lie. Whoever said that was lying. I just talked to Manny and it’s still Oct. 24. That’s where it is,” said Roach.

Leaving on Oct. 24 means Pacquiao had gone training in Baguio for five weeks. They arrive in Los Angeles on a Saturday, rest the following day, and head back to the gym Monday.

They will spend two weeks at the Wild Card Gym for two tough weeks, and drive to Las Vegas on Monday of fight week for the final phase of training. - By Abac Cordero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Boyzone singer Gately dies in Spain

MADRID (AFP) - – Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, 33, died on Saturday while on holiday in Majorca off the coast of Spain, the Irish band with a string of hits in the 1990s said on its website.

"Stephen tragically died yesterday whilst on holiday with his partner Andrew in Majorca," the site said on Sunday.

The Boyzone members, including lead singer Ronan Keating, were heading to Majorca following news of the death.

The circumstances surrounding Gately's death remained unclear but (Britain's) News of the World newspaper reported he died after a night out.

Boyzone manager Louis Walsh told the newspaper: "We're all absolutely devastated."

He said: "I'm in complete shock. I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony. We don't know much about what's happened yet... He was a great man."

Speaking to the newspaper late Saturday, band member Shane Lynch said: "Me and the boys are flying out in the morning.

"We just need to get over to where he's passed and work out what we need to do."

Gately, who married his partner Andrew Cowles in a civil union in 2006, sent ripples through the pop music world 10 years ago when he announced that he was gay.

He joined Boyzone in 1993 after answering an advert in Dublin to audition for Ireland's first boyband.

The band went on to enjoy huge success with six number one singles in Britain, but split up in 2000.

They reunited seven years later, but their recent 19-date Better tour failed to fill stadiums, despite offers of free tickets.

Gately also starred in West End musicals in London, including "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".

Boyzone lead singer Keating was "completely distraught", the News of the World said, and former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern paid tribute to Gately, whom he knew, on the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

He said: "The Gatelys are in my own constituency. I know the family, I know Stephen.

"He (Gately) was with us the other night with his boyfriend Andy, he came to my book launch."

Ahern, whose daughter Georgina is married to Nicky Byrne of boyband Westlife, continued: "It's just such a tragedy.

"Boyzone and Stephen, they've all been part of Irish life and far wider than that, the last 15 years, and so successful, so it's a huge, huge tragedy. It's so sad."

Gately last posted a message on his Twitter page on October 6, writing: "Still busy, lots going on. Focusing on finishing my book next so may be quiet here."

British actor and comedian Stephen Fry said on Twitter that he was shocked at the news.

"Just heard the very sad news about dear Stephen Gately. What a dreadful shock. He was loveable and sweet natured and will be hugely missed."

Kris comes to Noynoy's defense

Slideshow: elections_2010 Photos

MANILA - Kris Aquino has again defended presidential aspirant Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III from what she described as black propaganda against her older brother.

Kris assailed those who were spreading lies about Noynoy through text messages. On “The Buzz” Sunday, she particularly addressed a text message that encouraged the public to help Noynoy by bringing their checkbooks in Star Magic’s “Magic for A Cause” event.

Sunday's fund-raising fashion show was meant to help the victims of tropical storms Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma).

Kris maintained that the Star Magic event "has nothing whatsoever to do with my brother." She pointed out that Noynoy has never publicized his relief missions to various affected areas.

She noted that she herself has been “too careful” not to broadcast his relief works in her shows.

“None of my shows ever carried footage of what Noy has done. In fact, kawawa nga kasi other people na tumulong, ini-air natin. Pero kasi proper ako, hindi ko ho ginagawa iyon. Dahil pinapanood niyo ako Kris as the personality, not as his sister,” she said.

She added that the “’Magic for A Cause’ is a Star Magic event in which all politicians, I think all the [presidential aspirants], have been invited.”

The text message is also unfair to the management of Star Magic, according to Kris.

“Meron silang sariling adhikain at sana po magtulong tulong tayo. Nakalagay [dito sa text], ‘break out the bubbly, the champagne and all.’ It’s really in bad taste,” she said.

To Noynoy's detractors, Kris said: “Kung nagpapakalat kayo ng propaganda against my brother, it just proves talaga na matindi ang hatak ng kapatid ko kaya kailangan niyo siyang siraan ng siraan."

"And iyong mga libo libong pamilya na natulungan na ni Noynoy at Mar (running mate Sen. Manuel Roxas II), sana po kayo na ang gumawa ng paraan to defend them,” she said.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Michael Jackson's glove Jackson's glove, Elvis' guitar sold at auction

Michael Jackson's glove

Jackson's glove, Elvis' guitar sold at auction

Oct. 10, 2009, 5:11 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An illuminating glove worn by Michael Jackson during the 1984 Victory Tour has brought in $70,800 at an auction of entertainment memorabilia.

A bidder paid $106,200 for a Martin D-28 guitar played by Elvis Presley during his final Las Vegas peformance.

They were among dozens of items from Hollywood and the music industry sold at an auction in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The auction house says it sold about $5 million in memorabilia Thursday and Friday.

A bullwhip swung by Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" went for $56,050 and full-scale Velociraptor model from "Jurassic Park" brought in $76,700.

Gunmen seize Irish priest in Pagadian City

Unidentified armed men abducted a 78-year-old Irish Catholic missionary in Pagadian City Sunday night, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Philippine military said Monday.

Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command Maj. David Hontiveros identified the latest kidnap victim in southern Philippines as Michael Sinnott, 78, of the Columban Missionaries.

About 7:20 p.m. Sunday, six armed men barged into the Columban House in Gates District in Pagadian City and took the foreign missionary with them, Hontiveros said.

"The suspects forced the priest onto a mini-van and headed towards Sta. Lucia (district), where they burned the mini-van and transferred to a boat then fled," Hontiveros said, adding that "intelligence operatives are hot on the heels of the six kidnappers."

As of posting time, no ransom demand has been made in exchange the release of Sinnott. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

In a statement posted on the website of the Navan-based Columban Missionaries, the order said Sinnott was taking an evening stroll in his garden when he was seized by the gunmen.

The CBCP said three of the convent’s employees were about to close the gate when a man pushed the gate and said he wanted to talk to Sinnott.

Witnesses said “three or four other men" suddenly barged in and forced Sinnott into a vehicle, and brought him to an unknown destination.

Local authorities eventually found the vehicle in the abduction abandoned in the city’s coastal area.

Shocker

The kidnapping of Sinnott shocked Columban regional director Fr. Patrick O'Donoghue, who said they never expected such an incident to happen in Pagadian City.

"He was reassigned to the Philippines in 1980 or 1981," Fr. O’Donoghue said in an article on the CBCP news site. [See: Irish Catholic priest kidnapped in Pagadian]

O’Donoghue said Sinnott has been working in the Philippines for the past 40 years.

He said he is worried because Sinnott has a heart condition and he does not have his medication when he was abducted.

"Pagadian Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar is on his ground and has coordinated with us and other agencies," the regional superior said. - GMANews.TV

Pope canonises 'lepers' apostle' and four others

Pope Benedict XVI arriving at the Vatican for the canonisation of five Christians in April.The pope will canonise five new saints, including a man who dedicated his life to lepers in Hawaii and another considered one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century.

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - – Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday canonised five new saints, including a man who dedicated his life to lepers in Hawaii and another considered one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century.

Belgium's King Albert II and his wife Paola, Polish President Lech Kaczynski and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon attended the mass in St Peter's basilica.

The pope also canonised Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879) of France, who founded the order of the Little Sisters of the Poor. By the time she died, her institute had 2,500 workers looking after elderly women in 177 homes around the world.

Jugan "is like a light to guide our societies which have still not rediscovered the place and unique benefits" of elderly people, the pontiff said.

"Her charisma is still important, while so many old people suffer multiple poverties and solitude, sometimes even abandoned by their families," he said.

Jozef Damian de Veuster (1840-1889) of Belgium moved to Molokai in Hawaii at the end of the 19th century, where he became known as "the lepers' apostle" for living on a colony for 16 years until he himself died of the disease.

De Veuster's life "invites us to open our eyes to lepers who disfigure the humanity of our brothers," the pope said.

Also canonised were Polish archbishop Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski (1822-1895) and two Spanish monks -- a Dominican, Francisco Coll y Guitart (1812-1875) and a Trappist, Rafael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938).

Baron, considered one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century, died aged 27 while he was a member of the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance.

He died from diabetes after preferring to stay at the monastery rather than with his parents, where medical care would have been easier to come by during the upheavals of the Spanish Civil War.

In April, the pope canonised five Christians, including Father Arcangelo Tadini (1846-1912), Sister Caterina Volpicelli (1839-1894), theologian Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348) and Gertrude Caterina Comensoli, (1847-1903), all Italian.

The fifth was Carmelite monk Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira (1360-1431) of Portugal.

Benedict XVI has indicated he intends to slow down the rate of canonisations and of beatifications -- a step towards full sainthood -- in contrast with the prolific rate of his predecessor, John Paul II.

Pope Benedict XVI has canonised 28 new saints since becoming pontiff in April 2005. Jean-Paul II created 482 new saints and beatified 1,338 during his 26 years in office.

Beatification, officially the Catholic Church's recognition that a dead person has entered heaven and can intercede on behalf of those who pray in their name, is a key step towards sainthood.

Friday, October 9, 2009

This is It..ang laking bagay po itong mawawala sa Kaban.......nako...!!!!

Arroyo lifts state of calamity declaration in Visayas, Mindanao

MANILA - Malacañang on Saturday announced that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has lifted the state of calamity declaration in Visayas and Mindanao.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the lifting of the state of calamity declaration took effect on Saturday, as recommended by Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman Gilberto Teodoro.

Ermita said the whole of Luzon, which was devastated by two storms in the past two weeks, will remain under a state of calamity.

Mrs. Arroyo placed the whole country under a state of national calamity due to the damage brought by tropical storm Ondoy's onslaught late last month.

The declaration was also made to prepare authorities around the country against typhoon Pepeng, which was feared as a supertyphoon before it made landfall over northern Luzon.

Preemptive evacuations and price ceiling were implemented as soon as the state of national calamity took effect last October 5.

Despite the preemptive evacuations, several dozens of people in Cordillera region died due to rain-triggered landslides and more died and displaced by massive floods in other provinces in northern Luzon, particularly Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.

What a worst things,,...

Hungary pageant for surgically enhanced beauties

BUDAPEST, Hungary – It was a night for unnatural beauties. Contestants showed off breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts as Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 strove to promote the benefits of plastic surgery in a country where artificial enhancements are viewed mostly with a wary eye.

"I think this competition is long overdue," said photographer Marton Szipal, one of the pageant judges. "Hungarians used to laugh about plastic surgery but it's time for Hungarian women to care more about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe."

Plastic surgeon Dr. Tamas Rozsos said the pageant also meant to show that cosmetic corrections did not necessarily have to be about oversized breasts, bulbous lips and skin stretched to near tearing point.

"This about restoring harmony ... eliminating asymmetries and giving women the opportunity to have normal features," Rozsos said. "Plastic surgery has a bad reputation in Hungary but its mostly due to the exaggerations."

Despite Hungary having been hit hard by the global economic crisis with the government forced to scale back spending on health services, Rozsos said that the number of surgeries had been rising year by year.

"People for whom this is important always find the money," Rozsos said.

To qualify for the pageant, the 18 Hungarian residents had to prove they'd gone fully under the knife _ mere Botox or collagen injections did not count. Nearly all the contestants showed off augmented breasts, with reshaped noses also popular. One finalist had surgically adjusted toes.

Organizers claimed contestants were expected to show "a perfect harmony of body and soul," but the three-part pageant concentrated almost exclusively on the women's physical attributes and the usually conspicuous wishes for world peace went missing.

Miss Plastic candidates were at least 18 years old and included a former rhythmic gymnast, a firefighter married to a police officer, a mother of three and several strippers. There was a special category for women over 30.

Pageant queen Reka Urban, a 22-year-old hostess, won an apartment in Budapest, first runner-up Edina Kulcsar was given a new car and second runner-up Alexandra Horvath took home diamond jewelry worth 2 million forints ($10,800). The winners' plastic surgeons also received awards.

OBAMA--------

Gasps as Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO – The announcement drew gasps of surprise and cries of too much, too soon. Yet President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday because the judges found his promise of disarmament and diplomacy too good to ignore.

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee _ four of whom spoke to The Associated Press, said awarding Obama the peace prize could be seen as an early vote of confidence intended to build global support for the policies of his young administration.

They lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease U.S. conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen its role in combating climate change.

"Some people say _ and I understand it _ 'Isn't it premature? Too early?' Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP. "It is now that we have the opportunity to respond _ all of us."

Jagland said the committee whittled down a record pool of 205 nominations and had "several candidates until the last minute," but it became more obvious that "we couldn't get around these deep changes that are taking place" under Obama.

Obama said he was surprised and deeply humbled by the honor, and planned to travel to Oslo in December to accept the prize.

"Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations," he said at the White House. "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize."

Obama will donate the $1.4 million cash award that comes with the prize to charity.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who won the prize in 1984, said the decision showed that great things are expected from Obama and "wonderful recognition" of his effort to reach out to the Arab world after years of hostility.

"It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama's message of hope," Tutu said.

Many were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in a presidency that began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline for the prize and has yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking.

"So soon? Too early. He has no contribution so far. He is only beginning to act," said former Polish President Lech Walesa, who won the peace prize in 1983.

Some around the world objected to the choice of Obama, who still oversees wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched deadly counterterrorism strikes in Pakistan and Somalia.

Jagland told AP that while the war in Afghanistan was a concern, the Obama administration "immediately started to reassess the strategy."

"That itself is important, because when something goes wrong, then you need to ask yourself why is it going wrong," he said.

Obama said he was working to end the war in Iraq and "to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies" in Afghanistan, where he is seriously considering increasing the number of U.S. troops on the ground and asking for help from others as the war enters its ninth year.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi in Afghanistan condemned the Nobel committee's decision, saying Obama had only escalated the war and had "the blood of the Afghan people on his hands."

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called the Nobel decision "hasty."

"The appropriate time for awarding such a prize is when foreign military forces leave Iraq and Afghanistan and when one stands by the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people," he was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

Aagot Valle, a lawmaker for the Socialist Left party who joined the Nobel committee this year, said she hoped the selection would be viewed as "support and a commitment for Obama."

"And I hope it will be an inspiration for all those that work with nuclear disarmament and disarmament," she told AP in a rare interview. Members of the committee usually speak only through its chairman.

The peace prize was created partly to encourage ongoing peace efforts, but Obama's efforts are at far earlier stages than those of past winners, and the committee acknowledged they may not bear fruit at all.

"If everything goes wrong, then one cannot say that this was because of Barack Obama," Jagland said. "It could be that it is because of us, all the others, that didn't respond. But I cannot exclude that Barack Obama also can contribute to the eventual failure."

In Europe and much of the world, Obama is praised for bringing the U.S. closer to mainstream global thinking on such issues as climate change and multilateralism. A 25-nation poll of 27,000 people released in July by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found double-digit boosts to the percentage of people viewing the U.S. favorably in countries around the world. That indicator had plunged across the world under President George W. Bush.

The award appeared to be at least partly a slap at Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for his largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"Those who were in support of Bush in his belief in war solving problems, on rearmament, and that nuclear weapons play an important role ... probably won't be happy," said Valle.

At home, the picture is more complicated. Obama is often criticized by his political opponents as he attempts to carry out his agenda _ from government spending to health care to Afghanistan.

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele said Obama won because of his "star power" rather than meaningful accomplishments.

"The real question Americans are asking is, 'What has President Obama actually accomplished?'" Steele said.

Drawing criticism from some on the left, Obama has been slow to bring troops home from Iraq and the real end of the U.S. military presence there won't come until at least 2012.

The Nobel committee said it paid special attention to Obama's vision of a nuclear-free world, laid out in a speech in Prague and in April and at the United Nations last month.

Former Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, said Obama has already provided outstanding leadership on nuclear non-proliferation.

"He has shown an unshakable commitment to diplomacy, mutual respect and dialogue as the best means of resolving conflicts," ElBaradei said.

In July talks in Moscow, Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed that their negotiators would work out a new limit on delivery vehicles for nuclear warheads of between 500 and 1,100. They also agreed that warhead limits would be reduced from the current range of 1,700-2,200 to as low as 1,500. The U.S. now has about 2,200 such warheads, compared to about 2,800 for the Russians.

There has been no word on whether either side has started to act on the reductions.

Obama also has tried to restart stalled Mideast talks with no progress yet reported.

In the Gaza Strip, leaders of the radical Hamas movement said they had heard Obama's speeches on better relations with the Islamic world but had not been moved.

"We are in need of actions, not sayings," Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said. "If there is no fundamental and true change in American policies toward the acknowledgment of the rights of the Palestinian people, I think this prize won't move us forward or backward."

Obama has said that battling climate change is a priority. Yet the U.S. seems likely to head into crucial international negotiations set for Copenhagen in December with Obama-backed legislation still stalled in Congress.

Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by Swedish institutions, the peace prize is given out by the five-member committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Like the Parliament, the panel has a leftist slant, with three members elected by left-of-center parties and two right-of-center members. Jagland said the decision to honor Obama was unanimous.

The secretive committee declined to say who nominated Obama. In Nobel tradition, nominations are kept secret for 50 years, unless those making the submissions go public about their picks. This year's nominations included Colombian activist Piedad Cordoba, Afghan woman's rights activist Simi Samar and Denis Mukwege, a physician in war-torn Congo who opened a clinic to help rape victims.

Nominators for the prize are broad and include former laureates; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.

Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award: President Theodore Roosevelt won in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919.

In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."

___

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Please Protect our Mother Earth........................

9 killed in Benguet landslides; major roads to Baguio City impassable

Nine people were killed, including a one-year-old child and a pregnant woman, in two separate landslides in Brgy. Ambassador in Tublay town, Benguet, the Office of Civil Defense in the Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-CAR) said Wednesday.

OCD-CAR officer-in-charge Olive Luces said continuous heavy rains brought by typhoon “Pepeng," now degraded into a tropical depression, caused a landslide in Sitio Sto. Nino in the said barangay, killing a still unidentified child and a pregnant woman in the area.

Another landslide occurred in nearby Kilometer 16 of the barangay, which killed seven more residents, Luces said.

“Kahapon pa malakas ang ulan dito. Saturated na ‘yung lupa kaya nagkakaroon ng landslides (It has been raining hard here since yesterday. The soil is already saturated, so landslides take place)," she said.

Luces also advised people from nearby provinces to refrain from going to Benguet and Baguio City as of the moment, since several of the major roads leading to these areas have become impassable due to landslides and falling rocks.

She said two of the major roads leading to Baguio City—Kennon and Naguilian Roads—are closed due to landslides.

According to other radio reports, Marcos Highway remains intermittently open as road crews fight to clear landslides. Marcos Highway is the most important artery from Metro Manila and Central Luzon into the mountain resort city.

“Our highways are very critical. Pahupain muna natin ang ulan bago pumunta dito sa amin (Wait for the rain to stop before going here)," Luces said.

Based on the latest weather bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Public Storm Signal No. 1 is still hoisted over all six provinces in CAR – Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province—as Pepeng made its third landfall in Northern Luzon on Wednesday morning. - Andreo C. Calonzo, GMANews.TV